


It's Oh So Quiet

by topstarlobster



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 01:27:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7078819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topstarlobster/pseuds/topstarlobster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Woohyun falls in love with a stranger's gorgeous smile and then proceeds to embarrass himself trying to talk to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Until You Fall In Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is a spinoff of sorts of those two gyujong stories, but you don't necessarily have to read them before reading this one.

Woohyun first sees him while he is in a meeting one Monday morning. He is in the middle of his presentation when he makes the mistake of looking at the door. All coherent thought leaves him for a moment, as struck as he is by the man's beautiful smile. The man is gone before he can blink, but the impression he leaves lasts much longer. It takes another moment before Woohyun remembers where he is and what he’s doing and he stumbles to pick up where he'd left off. He manages to finish his presentation— admittedly less confident than when he began— but his mind is still on that man and his brilliant smile.

He has all but forgotten the embarrassing incident the next day when he steps onto the elevator after lunch and comes face-to-face with a familiar figure. The man is a bit shorter with fluffy dark brown hair and sparkling eyes. Woohyun is almost grateful for the sudden paralysis preventing him from reaching out to feel if the man's hair is as soft as it looks. The handsome stranger greets him with a bow, the corners of his lips curving up ever so slightly and Woohyun awkwardly mimics his actions. He has no idea why he’s acting so clumsily; he’s usually good at meeting new people.

The uncomfortable ride up ends soon enough, the shorter man being the first to escape. He gives him one last small bow before getting off the elevator and Woohyun tries his hardest not to watch him walk away. He’s never met someone who has piqued his interest so suddenly and completely without doing very much at all.

~*~

A week has gone by and Woohyun is still thinking about that guy from the elevator. It's ridiculous, he thinks, because they haven't spoken one word to each other, but that hasn't stopped his mind from plaguing him with constant images of the man's gorgeous smile (not that he really minds). He tries (but not really) to shake those thoughts from his head as he heads to his boss' office. Those thoughts seem to come to life when the elevator doors open and he gets a fresh glimpse of what he has been mentally rerunning for the past few days. The handsome stranger is chatting with Hoya, the director's secretary, a few feet away, that ever-present smile just as wonderful as Woohyun remembers it.

Attempting to keep his cool, Woohyun walks toward them with what he hopes is a pleasant expression (although judging by the look on Hoya's face it may be coming off a bit forced). The other man fortunately doesn't notice his discomfort, but when he directs his gorgeous smile at him, Woohyun finds his heart beating abnormally fast and he thinks he may be having a minor heart attack. So he does the most reasonable thing he can think of: scurrying away to the safety of his boss' office.

Leaning against the closed door, he takes a moment to catch his breath; running away to escape embarrassment only to embarrass yourself even further could really take a lot out of you. There is no way he can ever face that guy again now that he's made such a big fool of himself. Once he has his breathing under control, Woohyun finally approaches the director, who seems to be having an intense staring contest with his phone. What's odder is the fact that the screen isn't even on, but the oddest thing is definitely the cupcake sitting untouched on his desk. Sunggyu never ignores his daily cupcake.

That is all worth discussing, however Woohyun has bigger problems right now.

"Hyung," he whines, plopping into a chair in front of the desk. Sunggyu probably isn't the best person to go to for this kind of advice, but his options are rather limited at the moment. "I'm an idiot."

Sunggyu eventually pulls his attention away from the device in his hands and gives his friend a bored glance. "Who is it this time?"

"I don't actually know his name," Woohyun admits, scooting his chair closer so he can rest his arms on the desktop. "He was talking to Hoya and then he saw me and I freaked out and ran in here."

"Wow, that's new. Isn't it usually the other way around?"

Rolling his eyes in irritation, Woohyun doesn't bother answering the question— mostly because he knows it's true. He can admit he sometimes comes off a bit strong with his cheesy antics, but he likes to think that's one of his many (many) charms. His mom really likes it, anyway. 

"But seriously, what am I going to do? I can't even talk to him; what if I run into him again?"

"Stop being so dramatic," Sunggyu says. "Besides, hundreds of people walk in and out of this building every day, it's hardly likely you'll see him again. He probably won't remember you anyway."

"Please remind me never to ask for your help with anything ever again." Woohyun should've known better; literally anyone else would have been better to talk to.

"You're just over-thinking it— which is weird because you usually don't think much when it comes to this stuff. Are you feeling alright?"

"You are seriously the worst friend ever." It may be the truth, but the older man could have worded it better. Woohyun feels completely justified when he plucks the forgotten cupcake off the table (although he is secretly relieved that Sunggyu doesn't notice). "What about you— are you still pining over that intern?"

"I'm not 'pining'." Sunggyu is quick to respond and even quicker to add, "I'm just taking it slow."

"How can you take it slow if you haven't even made a move," Woohyun ventures around a mouthful of the most delicious chocolate cupcake ever made. Ever since his boss went on that little date he can't seem to go more than five minutes without talking about the young intern. Woohyun is happy for his friend, really— it's been quite a while since Sunggyu's taken an interest in something other than work— he just wishes the director would actually talk to the kid instead of whining about how much he wants to talk to him.

More embarrassed than angry, Sunggyu glares at his friend. "Get back to work."

"Just so we're clear, I'm leaving because I want to, not because you told me to." Woohyun polishes off the rest of the cupcake as he rises from his seat. He can't even remember the real reason he had come all the way up here, so he might as well go back down to his office; he should probably check up on the interns anyway (especially the tall one with the gummy smile). When he gets to the door he turns back with a smirk. "I'll tell Sungjong you said hi."

"Sh-shut up," Sunggyu stammers weakly, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

Chuckling at his flustered friend, Woohyun moves to open the door until he remembers what had transpired moments ago. He pokes his head out into the hallway and breathes a bit easier when he finds the handsome stranger nowhere in sight; he still doesn't know what he'll do if he sees him again.

"What are you doing?"

Hoya is staring at him like he has two heads sticking out from behind the door, which is actually a pretty common expression from the young assistant.

"Nothing." Woohyun's usual reaction would've been a snarky comment, but seeing as he hasn't been acting much like himself lately he sheepishly steps outside instead, his head bowed. Recalling Hoya's friendliness with the handsome stranger, he allows his curiosity to get the best of him and he asks, "So, who was that guy you were talking to earlier?"

"Why do you want to know about Dongwoo?" Hoya is still looking at him with the same expression and Woohyun is trying very hard not to find it unnerving.

"I just— I mean, I've never seen him before, so I was just wondering who he is."

The secretary finally looks away, turning back to his computer screen with a smirk. "Sure you were."

Nearly stomping like a miffed toddler, Woohyun's mouth drops into a frown. "Yes, I was."

"Uh huh."

Woohyun ignores Hoya's condescending tone— like the mature adult he is— and decides it would be best if he leaves (did he mention how mature he is?); he got what he was looking for anyway. On the elevator ride back down to his office he contemplates what he should do with this new information. He now has a name to go with that gorgeous smile, but he doesn't know if that will make it easier for him to talk to the owner of that ridiculously marvelous smile. He really needs to do something about this little crush, he's starting to sound like a poet or something.

By the end of the day Woohyun finds out through extensive research (aka bugging the guys down in Human Resources) that Dongwoo works in the mail room. He's only been at the company for a few weeks so that is probably why Woohyun's never seen him before. It's really no surprise he doesn't get any actual work done; he can't seem to think about anything else. He's just lucky Sunggyu is similarly preoccupied or he would really be in trouble.


	2. You Cross Your Heart & Hope To Die

Woohyun meets him again a couple of days later, this time outside the cafeteria. It's the end of his lunch break and he is just leaving when they almost literally run into each other. The only thought going through Woohyun's head is how unbelievably attractive Dongwoo is up close; it's almost unfair how good he looks. He sees the other's eyes light up in recognition and is about to mentally jump for joy until he realizes that Dongwoo probably remembers him as the weird guy who ran away from him.

Whatever his opinion is, he doesn't voice it as he gives a polite greeting. Woohyun musters every ounce of willpower and manages to finally say something, only it ends up being complete gibberish. He never knew a person could mess up a word as simple as "hi", but whatever he says is so far from it he might as well have been speaking another language.

Dongwoo has the most perplexed (but cute) look on his face and Woohyun once again throws logic out the window and hightails it out of there like his life depends on it. Why do his words always fail him in the most embarrassing ways whenever he is near Dongwoo? Woohyun is convinced there is something seriously wrong with him; he can't function like he used to and it's all Dongwoo's fault.

But the craziest part about it is that he likes being near the other man. He likes it— he likes him— so much and he just wishes he could tell him.

Woohyun finds himself back in Sunggyu's office the next day, just as troubled as he was the last time he was there. And just like before, Sunggyu is still distracted by his phone, but this time it's actually on; it appears the director finally made a move. As momentous as that is, Woohyun has yet to solve his own problems. He recounts the humiliating incident and waits for the older man to give him some helpful advice.

"Write him a letter."

Woohyun is a fool for thinking Sunggyu could help him; the director doesn't have the slightest clue when it comes to romance. He'll just have to avoid Dongwoo for the rest of his life. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, it's obvious you can't talk to him face-to-face," Sunggyu patiently explains. His friend has a habit of over-complicating things and looking for answers everywhere but right under his nose. "You can put it all in a letter and anonymously give it to him; you wouldn't have to be in contact with him at all."

"Why would I do something like that— this isn't middle school."

"I thought it was cute."

"Of course you did." Woohyun shoots a glare at his friend as he stands to leave. He swears this is the last time he talks to the older man about this; he'll just figure it all out on his own.

Woohyun trudges out of the director's office just as distressed as when he went in, if not more. Just as he is about to head to the elevator he sees a head of fluffy brown hair that he is certain belongs to Dongwoo. Panic courses through him, his mind telling him to run, but his legs don't seem to be listening. Questionable decisions seem to be his new thing as he hastily ducks behind Hoya's desk. It is a rather large piece of furniture so he is sure no one can see him from the other side.

That isn't quite the case, however, with Hoya who had been quietly minding his own business in front of his computer before the older man came barreling into his personal space. The irritated scowl on his face isn't anything new and neither is his surly tone. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Woohyun answers, rising from his crouched position near the secretary's feet. Dusting off his pants and straightening his tie, he refuses to look embarrassed in front of the younger man; he would probably find some way to use it against him in the future.

"Why are you always doing that?" Woohyun thinks Hoya's face might be stuck in a permanent frown, it is the only expression he's ever seen on him.

"Doing what?"

"Being weird." 

Or maybe he just doesn't like him. Woohyun finds that hard to believe, though— everyone likes him.

Folding his arms across his chest, he feigns ignorance. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Hoya smirks then (Woohyun forgot about that look, his "sarcastic jerk" face), a knowing look in his eyes. "This has something to do with Dongwoo, doesn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Woohyun repeats. He doesn't know how the assistant figured it out so easily, but he won't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's right.

"Please." Hoya rolls his eyes. "You're more transparent than glass. Anyone with eyes can see that you like him."

"I don't—"

"Dongwoo!" Hoya cuts him off before he can finish his denial, pointing somewhere behind him. Woohyun all but dives into the younger man's lap in his effort to hide himself; it goes without saying that the other's legs make for a bad hiding place. Hoya glances down at him with a raised eyebrow. "What were you saying?"

Standing back up and dusting himself off, Woohyun clears his throat and steps out from behind the desk. "I think it's time for me to get back to work."

"If you want, I can talk to Dongwoo, see how he feels about you," Hoya says simply but sincerely.

"Why?" Woohyun knows the younger man means what he's saying— he never says anything he doesn't mean— he just doesn't understand why.

"Why not?" Hoya just shrugs, not bothering to explain himself further.

Woohyun squints at the other man, still unsure what kind of game he is playing. "No, thank you?"

Shrugging again, the secretary turns back to his computer. "Suit yourself."

Woohyun finally walks away feeling utterly confused and strangely grateful. In all the years he's known him, Hoya has never once offered to do him a favor; it feels weird to have the younger man want to do something nice for him and truly mean it. Although more and more people seem to be getting involved in his little problem, they've only managed to make it more complicated rather than help him solve it.

~*~

Woohyun's solution ends up being to avoid Dongwoo at all costs. He peeks around every corner and even goes out of his way to take the stairs to prevent any more awkward elevator encounters. Although he receives many odd stares, none of them are from the man in question so he easily brushes them off.

By the end of the day Woohyun learns that the art of evasion is a tiresome job. It hasn't been very long, but he isn't sure if he can do this much longer. Crazily enough, he is actually considering Sunggyu's foolishly sappy idea. While it is utterly ridiculous, it would be much simpler than what he's doing right now.

His plan, which isn't very much better, has worked and continues to work well into the next day. That is until he spots him on his way back from lunch. Dongwoo is across the room busily delivering mail to the other employees, smiling as widely as ever. Woohyun feels short of breath— perhaps from the three-floor walk-up or perhaps for a completely different reason. Whatever it is, he needs it to go away as soon as possible. He's sure he can get to his office without running into him, but he won't be able to escape him when he shows up at his door to give him his mail.

With that in mind he starts looking for someone to intercept Dongwoo. Almost immediately, his eyes go to the interns. Sungjong seems to be busy, but with the way he's smiling down at his lap Woohyun is certain the young boy is not-so-secretly texting the director. He decides not to interrupt them and sets his sights on the tall intern fooling around by the water cooler. Keeping an eye on Dongwoo's progress across the room, Woohyun marches over to the lanky boy.

"Hey, Myungyeol."

Sungyeol, who had been doing a pretty accurate impression of Director Kim, jumps at his boss's sudden appearance. The two other interns he had been joking with look ready to bolt. "It's actually Sungyeol."

"Right, that's what I meant." Woohyun puts on his most charming smile; he usually refrains from getting close to the interns, but he's bit desperate at the moment. "Anyway, I need you to get my mail for me."

"Right now?" Although he is much taller than the team leader, Sungyeol looks absolutely terrified.

"There's no rush," Woohyun assures, trying not to sound as anxious as he feels.

Sungyeol gives him a quiet "yes sir" and he pats his arm gratefully before quickly and carefully heading to his office. Once inside Woohyun finally feels like he can breath and he soon realizes that all his running away is just making everything worse. He has already come to terms with the fact that he really likes (possibly even loves) Dongwoo and he doesn't think that's going to change any time soon. A little communication problem shouldn't be enough to stop him; he isn't the type to quit without even trying.

Feeling strangely motivated, Woohyun rushes over to his desk and scribbles a hasty note. It isn't much, but he thinks it sums up his feelings most accurately. He makes sure Dongwoo is still outside and thoroughly preoccupied before sneaking up to his mail cart and slipping the letter under a pile of envelopes.

Back in the safety of his office, Woohyun slumps into his chair, a sense of dread slowly replacing the adrenaline once running through his veins. He's thinking again and he's beginning to feel like he made a huge mistake. Just because he really likes (maybe kinda sorta loves) the guy doesn't mean he has to tell him. But that's exactly what he's done; Dongwoo is probably reading his note right now and there is nothing he can do but wait.

A knock on the door pulls him from his thoughts and his heart stops for a long moment. That couldn't be Dongwoo, could it? Is he here to accept his confession? To reject him? Woohyun doesn't know what he'll do if his feelings aren't reciprocated. He tries to keep his voice steady as he calls for the person to enter.

A head of wavy brown hair that definitely doesn't belong to the short mail boy peers around the wooden frame and the team leader sighs in both relief and disappointment. Sungyeol enters the room still as apprehensive as ever, bowing quickly before approaching his boss. The usually brazen intern looks like a frightened kitten as he hands over the papers, his eyes never leaving the floor. He spins around almost immediately after his task is complete and starts burning a path to the door.

"Hey, Sungyeol," Woohyun calls out before the intern can get too far. "That was a pretty good impression earlier. He's usually a bit whinier, but you're the best I've heard so far."

Sungyeol breaks into a grin, all gums and teeth, and he might even be blushing a little. His face drops a few seconds later as a thought occurs to him and he gapes at his boss with wide, innocent eyes. "Are you going to tell Director Kim I was making fun of him?"

"Of course not," Woohyun assures, finding this new shy side of the tall intern rather cute. He's used to being annoyed by the younger man, but he feels like he could actually like him now.

Sungyeol visibly sags in relief, his smile jumping back into place. He stays rooted to his spot, looking like he wants to say something else, but bites his lip instead and bows once more before going back the way he came.

Today has been a strange day, Woohyun thinks as he flips through the envelopes in his hands. Sunggyu is in a good mood, Hoya is being uncommonly nice, and the normally loud Sungyeol is noticeably subdued. And now he's holed up in his office waiting for his crush to check yes no or maybe (well, figuratively anyway). This is definitely the last time he follows Sunggyu's advice.


	3. There's No Mistake This Is It

When the day is done and everyone is rushing to leave and start their weekends, Woohyun finds himself still sitting at his desk, endless thoughts swirling through his mind. The next two days suddenly seem so lonely and he doesn't think he's quite ready to go home yet. He decides to be productive and finish up the work he has been neglecting over the past week; he's sure Sunggyu would be proud. It is something useful to do, but more importantly, it keeps his mind off of a particular employee with a particularly stunning smile.

Working proves to be a very good distraction and before he knows it it’s already somewhere past ten. The office is dark and empty as he walks to the elevator, his eyes burning from staring at his computer for so long. All he can think about is going home and burrowing into his bed, possibly for the entire weekend. Woohyun is halfway through a massive yawn when the doors open and he stumbles in, his tired mind still thinking about his waiting bed.

"Long day?"

Woohyun nearly screams at the sudden voice beside him; he hadn't even noticed that someone else was in the elevator. It's even worse when he realizes the voice belongs to the last man he expected to see at this time of night. His feet are itching to get as far away as possible, but as there's nowhere to go in this tiny box he settles for subtly shifting into the corner. "Y-yeah."

There is a quiet chuckle and Woohyun wishes he could hear that sound every day, especially if he is the cause of it. It is the sexiest thing he's ever heard, all breathy and deep. Biting his lip, he tries to shake off the inappropriate thoughts that have begun to surface; he prefers to save those for more private places.

"We run into each other a lot, but I don't think we've officially met." Dongwoo grins and extends a hand. "I'm Dongwoo."

Woohyun decides not to mention that he already knows who he is; he doesn't want to look like a creep. Heart hammering, he reaches to shake the other man's hand and hopes he doesn't sound as nervous as he feels. "I'm Woohyun."

He kind of forgets what to do next and just stares at him; he never thought he would ever get this far. He also forgets that they are still holding hands, but Dongwoo doesn't seem to mind so he allows himself to revel in the feel of the other's slim but strong hand. After a few moments Woohyun reluctantly pulls away before it gets too awkward; it is their first official meeting after all, he should make a good impression.

Dongwoo steps back into his corner, smiling as brightly as ever and Woohyun tries not to sneak too many glances. He wants to ask him about the letter, but the words keep sticking. It's driving him crazy not knowing, even more so that he's stopping himself from finding out. Pushing all other thoughts out of his mind, Woohyun takes a deep breath and turns to the man beside him.

Just as he opens his mouth the elevator doors open as well and all of his mustered courage goes flying out into the lobby. Without giving him time to gather his thoughts, Dongwoo gets off first and Woohyun trails behind, mentally kicking himself for hesitating so much. Distracted as he is he nearly runs into the other man when he stops abruptly at the entrance, whirling around with a dazzling smile.

"I know it's late, but do you want to grab something to eat?" Dongwoo looks hopeful (at least Woohyun thinks he does) as he waits for an answer. His expression dims a bit when a full minute goes by and the younger man has yet to give a reply. "You probably just want to go home; you don't have to."

 _Yes, yes, oh my god yes_ Woohyun wants to scream. He never knew this moment would come, but it's right in front of his face and he isn't doing anything. Why isn't he doing anything? As Dongwoo begins to look increasingly discouraged, Woohyun pleads with himself to just do something. "I have to go."

Now he wishes he'd kept gaping like a fish; that was the exact opposite of what he wanted to say. Weaving around a stunned Dongwoo, he rushes out of the building, already beating himself up for being so moronic. He keeps messing up and he has no one to blames but himself.

~*~

The next two days turn out to be as lonely as Woohyun predicted, his only companions being his couch and TV. He spends most of his time wondering how Dongwoo is doing, if he's okay. The other man probably hates him now; first he tells him he likes him and then he acts like he doesn't. Even Woohyun is confused by his own contradictory behavior.  
On his way to work on Monday morning Woohyun has an epiphany of sorts that may or may not have something to do with the peppy pop song playing on the radio. As IU sings of blue skies and teary eyes he realizes that there is no reason things have to stay the way they are. Sunggyu is always scolding him for being so stubborn, but here he is ready to give up. Well, not anymore— he is Nam flipping Woohyun and he gets what he wants.

Confident in his plan, he sings along to the last chorus of the song and he likes to think he nailed the three-octave high note at the end. IU says it's a good day (maybe she's psychic) and Woohyun couldn't agree more. He spies a perfect parking spot close to the entrance when he pulls into the parking lot and rushes to claim it before anyone else. There is another car trying to get that same space, but aren't quick enough and Woohyun swoops in just in time. He’s never felt so good so early in the morning; and he didn’t even have any coffee.

His mood drops considerably when he steps out of the car and learns that the driver he cut off was none other than Dongwoo. The other man is staring at him like he just kicked a puppy, oblivious of the line of honking cars behind him. Woohyun feels horrible now (as if he actually did kick a puppy); maybe IU isn't as psychic as he originally thought. He wants to apologize— for so many things— but today is a busy day and he has a lot of work to do. Hoping he looks as sorry as he feels, Woohyun gives a small wave before making his way into the building.

The morning ends up being busier than he anticipated with endless meetings that seem to drag on forever. He barely has time to think, let alone look for Dongwoo so he can apologize. Relief comes in the form of a lunch break and he nearly sprints out of the conference room trying to take advantage of every minute. He is on his way back to his office to drop off a few papers when Sungyeol approaches him looking troubled.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, sir?"

Woohyun just wants to go eat, but he likes to think he is a pretty decent boss so he figures he should hear him out. "Sure."

Sungyeol goes through the trouble of dragging him into an empty stairwell where he proceeds to scowl at him. He looks like he wants to say something, but he doesn’t know how or doesn’t think he should. Woohyun is just starting to feel thoroughly creeped out when the tall intern finally gets to the point.

"I can't date you." Sungyeol says it with such conviction that the older man almost feels crushed until he remembers he has no idea what the giant is talking about. "I know don't show it a lot, but I really respect you; I look up to you, you know. I like you... but just as a boss."

Woohyun is at a complete loss for words; it's not like he's never been rejected, but he never confessed in the first place. This is honestly a first for him and he doesn't even know where to begin. All he can say is, "What?"

"I think we should keep our relationship professional." Sungyeol can hardly look him in the eye, his lips stretched into a thin line. "I'm really flattered, but I don't share your feelings."

"What feelings?"

"The feelings you have for me?" At least they are both confused now. "Don't you remember what you wrote in the note?"

There is a sinking feeling settling in Woohyun's stomach and he thinks he knows what is going on, but he still asks, "What note?"

"This note." Sungyeol digs in his pants pocket and pulls out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. None too kindly, Woohyun snatches it from his hand and his suspicions are confirmed when he sees the words meant for someone else.

"Where did you get this?" It seems he can only communicate through questions.

"You gave it to me." Sungyeol is starting to look a bit irritated; this isn't exactly how he imagined this would all go down. "Well, you had Dongwoo give it to me. But like I said, I'm flattered, but I don't want to date you."

"I don't want to date you, either," Woohyun exclaims, throwing his hands up in exasperation. He can't believe he is actually having this conversation; when did his love life become so ridiculous?

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

For all his height, the young intern looks more like a small child with his arms crossed and a pout on his lips. "Then why did you write me that note?"

"That wasn't meant for you." Woohyun sighs and runs a hand down his face. This conversation is more tiresome than the meetings he had to sit through this morning.

"Then who was it meant for?"

"That's none of your business." Although he has to crane his neck up to meet the younger man's eyes, Woohyun still tries to sound commanding. "Why do you care so much— you're not even interested in me."

"I just want to know who you're choosing over me." Hip cocked and eyebrow arched, Sungyeol waits for his boss to tell him what he wants to hear.

"Goodbye, Sungyeol."

Woohyun wants to laugh at the absurdity of this whole situation. Instead he decides to walk away, giving the giant intern one last irritated glance. This day is slowly turning into one big mess; he just hopes he can eat before anything worse happens.

He is so focused on trying to figure out how his note wound up in Sungyeol's possession he almost doesn't notice Director Kim sitting behind his desk when he enters his office. Choking back the very unmanly scream that wants to come out, Woohyun clutches his chest instead, trying to calm his racing heart. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," Sunggyu replies with a laugh. "What took you so long?"

Snippets of his conversation with that beanpole of an intern flash through his mind and Woohyun tries not to shudder too hard at the memory. "It's a long story."

"Tell me about it over lunch." Sunggyu stands up and slips his phone into his pocket. The ridiculousness that is his friend's life always makes for good entertainment.

"Really?" Woohyun breaks into a grin; hopping around like a puppy that's about to be taken for a walk. "You're paying, right?"

"Yes, I'm paying. Why is that always the first thing you ask?"

Woohyun merely shrugs as they leave the room; he should probably be at least a little ashamed of his boldness, but he really isn't. They are friends after all, it should be expected. It should also be expected that he would mercilessly tease the older man when he catches him exchanging shy glances with a certain intern as they are walking to the elevator.

"Are you sure you didn't want to take Sungjong to eat instead?"

"Keep that up and you'll be paying for your own food."

Woohyun waits until the elevator doors close before attacking his friend with his cringe-worthy aegyo; it is his way of showing his gratitude. He shapes various hearts with his fingers, hands, and arms and send them over to his boss along with cheesy sound effects. Sunggyu bats away his hearts and kisses and begs him to stop, but still smiles all the while.

He has his fingers poised atop his head like makeshift bunny ears as he hops from side to side when the doors slide open to the building lobby. It would be embarrassing enough if anyone caught him in such a compromising position, but Hoya and Dongwoo just so happen to be standing in front of him. Woohyun straightens up right away and tucks his hands behind his back. He thinks now would be a very good time to die, he's lived a full-enough life.

Chuckling not-so-secretly into his fist, Sunggyu nudges him forward and he reluctantly steps out, too embarrassed to look the two men in the eye. While Hoya looks decidedly unimpressed (there isn't very much that can faze him), Dongwoo looks much more unsettled. Woohyun is sure the other's opinion of him is absolutely ruined; his plan has already failed and he hasn't even started it yet.

He learns as they are walking to the small restaurant down the street that Hoya invited Dongwoo along for lunch. It seems innocent enough until Woohyun remembers the secretary's strangely friendly offer; he can't help but wonder if this is his odd way of helping him out. As grateful as he is for the excuse to see Dongwoo, he still doesn't fully trust Hoya's intentions and he makes sure to direct a glare at the younger man while they are finding their seats to express his suspicions. The secretary sends him a simple smile in return which only makes him more wary.

They get a table toward the back and Woohyun finds himself stuck between a wall and his boss with nowhere to look but straight forward at his new favorite smile. Keeping in mind his plan to get the other man to like him he injects as much charm as possible into his smile when their eyes meet. He wants to thinks Dongwoo looking away first means it is actually working; he needs all the confidence he can get at this point.

"So, Dongwoo," Sunggyu starts as they're waiting for their food. "How do you and Hoya even know each other?"

Dongwoo hums a little and Woohyun finds the small pout as he thinks the most adorable thing. "We went to school together, but I had no idea we would end up working at the same company."

"Wow, I didn't think he had any friends." Woohyun can't resist adding his two cents; the secretary's responding scowl is just the reaction he expected and the amused glance he shares with Dongwoo is a very nice bonus.

The small group settles into a comfortable chatter that only becomes more relaxed when the food arrives. It feels nice not worrying about what to say and Woohyun wonders if this is how it would've been if he had said yes that night. He is beginning to think getting the other man to like him will be an easy job; they've already shared so many looks and smiles, it's practically decided.

Everything is going pretty well so of course something has to go wrong. It starts when he is describing his odd encounter with Sungyeol; he decides not to mention the note and its important role for obvious reasons. It is an entertaining tale that fits well with the atmosphere so of course Hoya has to ruin it by suggesting that the reason Woohyun, who is arguably the flirtiest employee, didn’t try anything with the young intern is because he already has someone he’s interested in. While that is pretty much the entire truth, it isn’t something Woohyun wants to discuss with the object of his affections sitting right in front of him; he also doesn’t like being painted as some kind of playboy. He aims to tell Hoya just that with a sharp kick to the shin, only he miscalculates the angle and distance and it is Dongwoo wincing in pain instead. Now everyone at the table is staring at him with varying levels of confusion (and slight amusement from Hoya) and Woohyun starts contemplating intentionally choking on his food. He’s so ashamed he can’t even apologize, he just keeps his head bowed and waits for the conversation to move on.

It only gets worse when Sunggyu leaves to take an important call. He didn't really need him there, but his presence was a nice source of moral support; he feels a bit lost, but he can manage. Hoya then decides he has to go to the bathroom (which Woohyun doesn't believe for one minute), leaving him to face Dongwoo on his own. In theory, this is a good opportunity, but now that he is faced with the reality he just wants to run away.

"Uh, Woohyun?" Dongwoo whispers a few minutes later, his eyes darting to the side as he leans across the table slightly. "Don't look now, but that girl over there has been staring at you for the past five minutes."

Looking up from where he has been trying to disappear into his bowl, Woohyun runs a hand through his hair and attempts to look nonchalant as he glances around the restaurant. "Oh."

There is no doubt the girl is absolutely gorgeous; it's a wonder all eyes aren't on her. With her smoldering eyes and alluring smile, any man would be glad just to talk to the dark-haired beauty. If he wasn't so crazy about the guy in front of him Woohyun wouldn't hesitate to go over to her and work his magic. But as flattering as the woman's attention is he is only interested in catching someone else's. Feeling overheated by all the eyes directed at him, he gulps some water to cool down.

"Oh, she's coming over."

Dongwoo's announcement takes him completely by surprise and before he can stop himself water comes flying out of his mouth and right into the other man's face. Mortified doesn't even begin to describe how he feels as they stare at each other in shock; from the corner of his eye he notices the girl slowly backing away from the scene. Woohyun can't even blame her, he would love to be anywhere but here right now. If a giant hole opens up right under him he would really appreciate it.

As he is floundering for an apology Hoya returns to the table and informs them that it is just about time to get back to the office. Woohyun shoots up from his chair as if he was electrocuted and starts heading for the door without waiting for the two other men. He hasn't gotten very far when he hears Hoya's puzzled voice. "Why is your face all wet?"

His face is burning and he is sure it looks like it too by the worried look on Sunggyu's face when he meets him at the door. "What happened— did you get rejected again?"

"What— no. I spit water all over his face."

"How could you mess this up?" Sunggyu demands, trying not to laugh too hard at his friend's misfortune. He follows him outside and throws an arm over his shoulders in an effort to console him. "We set it up so perfectly for you. We thought if we left the two of you alone, you would finally tell him how you feel."

Woohyun stops in his tracks as the older man's words sink in. "Are you telling me you and Hoya set this all up? What in the world made you think this was a good idea?"

"Well, it was mostly Hoya's idea..." Sunggyu at least has the decency to look rueful under his friend's icy glare.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter." Woohyun sighs, hanging his head in defeat. "He probably hates me now."

"I highly doubt that."

As they resume their walk back to work Woohyun stuffs his hands in his pockets, another sigh escaping him. His hand nudges against a stray piece of paper and the irritation within him that had fizzled out starts to burn anew. Yanking the crumpled note out of his pocket, he waves it in front of his boss' face as they wait to cross the street. "This is your fault too."

"What's this?" Sunggyu takes the paper from the other's clenched fist. A slow smile spreads on his face as he reads the written words and he regards his friend with wonder. "I can't believe you actually did it. You know, I was mostly joking when I said that."

Woohyun stalks across the street when the light changes with Sunggyu rushing to catch up. "Gee, thanks for telling me after I already did it."

"How was I supposed to know you would actually follow my advice? You usually ignore everything I say."

"I really wish I had," Woohyun says, sighing yet again; at least they can both agree that Sunggyu gives terrible advice. As much as he complains about the older man's help he really does appreciate his support. "But I never gave it to him, so I'm really to blame for this failure."

Sunggyu slings his arm back across his friend's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Look on the bright side, he probably won't file a complaint about you with HR."

"What do you mean 'probably'?"

"Well, if you look at it from his point of view you've kind of been acting like a jerk. But as long as you apologized it should be fine."

Woohyun shakes off his friend's arm as they reenter their office building, once again reminded why he calls him the worst best friend ever. "I have to go think."

"That sounds dangerous," Sunggyu quips. "Don't hurt yourself."

If they weren't at work, Woohyun would call the director a few choice words. But he values his life way too much so he opts for walking away and heads toward the stairs. With all that he has on his mind the elevator wouldn't be long enough to sort through it all.

He thought it would be easy to get Dongwoo to like him, but there is just something about the other man that makes it hard for him to act normally. If it was anyone else Woohyun is sure he could charm the pants off of them (not that he wants Dongwoo to take his pants off— at least, not now— he barely knows him). The one thing he knows for sure is that he has to tell him how he feels; his sanity kind of sort of really depends on it. Even if he doesn't feel the same way, even if he hates him he still has to do it.

By the time he reaches the fourth floor Woohyun realizes he made a horrible mistake in taking the stairs. He is sweaty and out of breath and it didn't take him as long as he thought it would to figure everything out. Deciding to put himself out of his own misery, he drags his exhausted body to the nearest elevator and collapses against the wall even before the doors fully close. As soon as he stops dying he will definitely look for Dongwoo.

Woohyun feels slightly less like a walking corpse when he gets off the elevator, his heart rate finally returning to normal. As he is on his way back to his office he crosses paths with a couple of the interns— one of them being Sungyeol. Although it isn't as awkward as he expected it to be, the younger man is doing everything in his power to not look in his direction.

"Good afternoon, sir," the other intern (he's pretty sure his name is Myungsoo) greets before jabbing Sungyeol in the side to do the same. The tall kid follows his friend's lead, still refusing to meet his boss' eye.

It's cute, Woohyun thinks, how flustered he is; it is almost as if Sungyeol actually likes him. Amused by his unintentionally adorable behavior, Woohyun steps forward and stretches up incredibly high to ruffle the young intern's hair. "Keep up the good work."

Sungyeol squawks at the sudden affectionate touch and stumbles out of the shorter man's reach; his eyes have nearly doubled in size, but they are finally directed at the man in front of him. He had fully expected his boss to ignore him and pretend like nothing happened— that's what he was trying to do, anyway.

Chuckling at the mixture of emotions flitting across the intern's face, Woohyun continues on his way back to his office. He usually refrains from being friendly with the interns, but teasing Sungyeol is so much fun that he doesn't mind breaking his own rule a little. A good mood settles around him, melting away most, if not all, of the stress that had accumulated on his walk up from the lobby. It doesn't last, however, as he enters the room and comes face-to-face with the last person he expected to see.

After that disaster of a lunch, Woohyun didn't think Dongwoo would want to be anywhere near him ever again, but there he is sitting patiently by his desk with his back turned.

"What are you doing here?" It is not at all what he planned to say; it was the only thought running through his mind and he blurted it out without stopping to consider how rude it might sound.

Dongwoo jumps up at the sound of the other's voice, his bright eyes just as piercing even through his surprise. "Hey, can we talk?"

"S-sure." Woohyun isn't ready for this; he needs time to compose himself and gather some courage. How is he supposed to have a conversation with Dongwoo when the other man is looking at him so intently? He could barely say two words to him during lunch under his intense stare. And how is he supposed to talk to him when he has to look at him looking at him? He still hasn't gotten over (and probably never will get over) how ridiculously attractive the other man is; now all he can think about is grabbing Dongwoo by his insanely gorgeous face and kissing him possibly forever.

Perhaps if he avoids all eye contact he can save himself from any further embarrassment. But he can't necessarily stare at the floor the whole time. "Can you stand outside?"

"What?"

Dongwoo is looking at him like he has lost his mind and Woohyun feels the same way; nothing he has said or done over the past couple of weeks has made very much sense. Although he, himself, doesn't fully understand what he wants, he still tries to explain his strange request. "I still want to talk, I just need you to stand outside the door."

A few silent seconds pass as Dongwoo peers at him with his unnervingly sharp eyes before nodding and walking out of the room. Woohyun turns to find the mail boy standing idly in the doorway as if awaiting further instructions. He tries not to let the uncertainty racing through his veins stop him as he moves to stand in front of Dongwoo and pushes the door almost completely closed.

"So—"

"Do you hate me?"

The question comes as a shock, but even more surprising is the hurt in Dongwoo's voice. It's a bit of a relief that there's a door between them; Woohyun doesn't know what he would do if he saw the hurt that is surely on the other's face as well. Even though he already knows the answer he still asks, "Why do you think I hate you?"

"At first I thought you were shy," Dongwoo admits after a pause. "You seemed so nervous and you barely talked. Then I thought you were playing a joke or testing me or something because I'm new. But now it really feels like you don't like me and I'm just trying to figure out if I did something to upset you. If I did, I'm really sorry."

Woohyun feels like he could cry at how understanding Dongwoo is; if their roles were reversed he knows he wouldn't be half as reasonable. He doesn't deserve someone so perfect, someone who is willing to apologize even though he didn't do anything wrong. "I should be the one apologizing; I'm a jerk. It probably— well, definitely— doesn't make sense, but the reason I've been acting the way I have is because I _do_ like you."

"So, you ignored me, kicked me, and spit water in my face because you like me?"

"When you put it like that I sound like a kindergartner or something." Now hearing about his childish behavior Woohyun feels even more embarrassed. He can't even take pride in finally confessing. "I didn't mean to do any of that, I was just really nervous. From the moment I saw you I liked you and it kind of scared me because I didn't know how to express it, but I really, really like you."

There is nothing but silence from the other side and Woohyun begins to regret saying anything. Although he told himself he wouldn't be upset if Dongwoo didn't feel the same way, it was all a big lie because he truly wants him to return his feelings. The silence drags on and Woohyun starts pulling at his hair, beating himself up for opening his big mouth; just because he is finally able to speak in the other man's presence doesn't mean he should blurt out everything on his mind.

"I kind of, sort of can't stop thinking about you." Dongwoo speaks up at last, his voice quiet and unreadable. Untangling his fingers from his hair, Woohyun is struck by the familiarity of the words; he's sure he's heard them somewhere else before. Just as he is about to ask him what he means the mail boy continues, "Is that what you've been trying to tell me?"

A slip of paper appears between the crack in the door and Woohyun takes it with an unsteady hand. The same words Dongwoo had uttered moments ago are glaring back at him and he feels like an idiot for not realizing sooner— it was his own failed confession. But how did he get it?

"Director Kim gave it to me," Dongwoo explains, answering the unasked question.

Woohyun isn't sure who he should beat up first: Sunggyu or himself. He never should've told his friend about the note and he should've ripped up the paper when he had the chance. But none of that is important right now because Dongwoo knows everything and he hasn't given him an answer. "Is it okay?"

"What— that you think about me?" There is amusement in the other's voice that has Woohyun's heart thudding for so many reasons. "It's okay, I think about you, too."

He can practically hear Dongwoo smiling and it makes him break into a grin as well; he has dreamed about this for so long it seems, but now that it's actually happened it feels so much better than he ever imagined. Now that they've confessed everything there is only one thing standing in their way and Woohyun eagerly swings the door open to meet Dongwoo's equally excited smile. He's already said it a few times, but now that they are actually looking at each other he has to say it again. "I like you."

Dongwoo grins impossibly wider as he steps into the office. "I like you, too."

Dongwoo is still walking forward and while this is usually the part where Woohyun runs away, he stands his ground, fully aware of what is about to happen. There is barely an inch of space between them when Dongwoo stops in his tracks, his hands winding their way around the taller man's waist. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Woohyun slides his hands up to rest on Dongwoo's shoulders. He's so nervous he can hardly think straight, but then Dongwoo is leaning in, his eyes locked on Woohyun's lips and he still can't believe this is happening.

Their lips finally meet and Woohyun has to screw his eyes shut tight to shield them from the fireworks that have gone off (although they only seem to brighten behind his eyelids). His whole body (brain included) has turned to mush and he's sure Dongwoo's strong arms are the only thing keeping him upright; there is still some strength in his hands, however, as they squeeze the taut muscles beneath them. Woohyun is sure he could keep kissing Dongwoo forever— or at least until the end of the work day— until a thought strikes him and he pulls away with a furrowed brow. "Wait, if you already knew I liked you why did you ask me if I hated you?"

"You were giving me a lot of mixed signals, I just wanted to be sure." Dongwoo looks a bit dazed, but happy nonetheless. His hands are lightly massaging Woohyun's sides and he's moving closer again, impatient to pick up where they left off.

Woohyun wants to as well, but he also feels kind of bad for causing so much confusion. "You must think I'm weird."

"Yeah," Dongwoo confirms with a chuckle, leaning in until their lips are nearly touching. "But I like it."


End file.
